Across Time and Space - A Good Place to Start
by Punkylemon
Summary: Year: 1983. This is a prequel to my first fic 'Across Time and Space'. Please read that first! This tells the story of how Jac/Izzi first arrived in the world of 'The Karate Kid', the friends and enemies she made and the trials she went through and gives some of the history behind her relationships with certain characters. Johnny/OC (kinda sorta)
1. All Valley

**Author's Notes: **_If you've followed me here from 'Across Time and Space', welcome! If you haven't read the first 'Across Time and Space' yet and are starting here, go to my account and read at least the first 2 chapters of the original fic or this one will make absolutely no sense whatsoever! Plus, I'm a lazy arse who can't be bothered to type it all out again. __**Ahem**__. So here it is! The fic that tells the story from the very start about how Jac (me... basically. Let's be honest. I am self-insert trash!) first arrived in the world of Karate Kid. A quick note here, though. It's not "Jac" in this one but "Izzi" as I changed my name later on (which, if you've read the first fic, you'll know. It's going to feel so weird to use my old name again. Hoo boy)._

_One more thing. I MASSIVELY fucked up with the dates in the first fic! I arrived in late 1983, The Karate Kid movie takes place in 1984, I left in early 1985, came back in 1988 and the sequel will start in 1995. All clear? Good. Let's roll._

**All Valley**

I felt like I was falling through a wind tunnel. Not long now. Any second and...

Smack!

I landed heavily on my feet. Pain shot up both shins and I instantly fell over onto the asphalt.

"Ow ow ow!" I muttered, heaving myself up to sitting and rubbing my poor, completely new legs Travelling from one's own world to another for the very first time was always an uncomfortable experience. My avatar (an energy replica of my own body) had formed with a pretty considerable snap and I felt a bit dazed. Ok. Maintenance check time. I felt my body all over. My limbs seemed fine, exactly like mine in my own world. My arms too. I stood up, carefully. Yup. I could stand and move ok. I pulled a mirror (that I'd hopped worlds with) out of the pocket of my blue hoodie and looked at my face. From what I could tell, my face was fine too. My pixie-cropped dark blonde hair was a little dishevelled but, apart from that, I looked like my usual 15-year-old self. No doubt I'd find some sort of flaw later. There often were with avatars. An avatar was the world's best guess at how you should look in this world and some of the data was often scrambled, resulting in one eye being a different colour, freckles you didn't used to have, or a streak of hair that was a different shade to the rest. Trivial things that didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

I pocketed the little mirror and took a glance around. The parking lot was pretty busy with people walking this way and that, all heading towards the tournament hall. Good. I'd got my dates right. It was the All Valley Under 18's Karate Championship of 1983. A year before the movie's climax. No-one was paying any attention to me but that wasn't surprising. When you hop, you aren't visible to the inhabitants of that world until you've walked a meter from where you arrived to try and prevent panic, and I'd barely budged yet. I set off across the parking lot, trying my hardest to blend in, despite my very out-of-time appearance with particular short hairstyle. Maybe people would believe I was a boy as long as they didn't look at me too closely.

I followed a family of three, a mother, a father and a boy of about 10 with bowl-cut blond hair, into the tournament hall, attempting to look like a moody, teenage sibling who was hanging back. It seemed to work ok, even though the boy kept glancing back at me as we entered. He'd just got his dad's attention and said,

"Dad. There's a weird boy following us."

when I ducked into the stands and disappeared.

I knew who I was here to see and the security guards were not them. I found an empty seat about halfway up. Not a bad spot really. I could see everything from a fairly good vantage point without being up in the rafters.

There was a woman with brown hair and smiling eyes beside a man with a heavy moustache next to me. She looked nice enough, but I noticed after a few minutes that she was looking at me more than the mats below. Slowly, I turned my head and met her gaze, hoping that the eye contact would make her look away. No such luck.

"Hi." The woman said, cheerfully.

Unsure what to do, I sort of flicked my hand up in a half wave and turned my attention back to the mats, scanning the whole hall for the faces I knew so well but had never seen with my own eyes.

The woman wasn't finished with me.

"I'm Jill." She continued.

I nodded.

"Ah. Hey." I said. And went back to searching.

"Do you have someone in the tournament? A brother maybe? A friend?" Jill asked.

My eyes narrowed and I bit my lip. She was trying my patience.

"Friend." I replied simply.

"Oh? Who is it?"

Damn, this woman was nosey! I finally spotted Bobby in a sparring match with a guy I didn't recognise and pointed at him.

"Him." I said, simply. The woman raised her eyebrows.

"That's my son! You know Bobby?"

Oh... shit. Of all the people I could have sat down next to and it was this woman! I cringed slightly but nodded. I couldn't exactly back out of this now I'd started it. Jill leant over to her husband.

"Brian. This girl's friends with our Bobby!"

I pulled my hood up as Brian leant forward to see round his wife. Crap.

"Hi there. What's your name?" Brian asked in a booming sort of voice.

"Izzi." I mumbled.

"Nice to meet ya." Brian said, good naturedly.

I nodded.

"Nice to meet you too." I said, not looking at him. All I wanted was to sit and watch the tournament and find everyone. Now, thanks to sod's bloody law, I was in danger of getting embroiled into a lie I couldn't get out of, right out the gate.

"From England, huh?"

"Mm hm. I'm new around here."

"What part of England you from? You an exchange student?"

Luckily, Jill came to my rescue.

"Brian. Don't interrogate the poor thing. She's obviously a little shy." She smiled at me, clutched my arm for a second, then went back to watching the match.

_Rich coming from you_, I thought. But, hey. At least it made them both back off.

It took a few minutes but I eventually found everyone. My heart was skipping slightly. I'd starhopped for years (since I was about 11) but the feeling of being starstruck never faded when I first arrived and saw the characters for the first time. I watched their sparring matches and found I had a small smile playing around my face. I was paying the most attention to Johnny. Oh what a crush I'd had on him in the movie! He was quick, athletic, cute as hell. I was very glad I had my hoodie to hide in. He was doing well as I knew he would. Hell, I knew he would win this tournament but that didn't make it any less exciting.

The tournament reached the semis and I watched as Tommy defeated Daryl Vidal with a spectacular jump kick to tumultuous applause and cheers from the rest of the Cobra Kai members. I took a moment to glance around at the stands. I wondered which of the many of faces were Johnny and Tommy's mothers, fathers or whatever.

"Well, whatever happens now, the trophy goes, once more, to the Cobra Kai dojo!" The announcer was booming into his microphone. The crowd seemed to be split on this result as half cheered, rowdily, and the other half booed. I was in the cheering section, unsurprisingly.

I'd wondered what Cobra on Cobra sparring really looked like and it was not disappointing. I found myself oddly impressed by Tommy. It was Johnny I was here to see but I'd watched the movie so much, nothing came as a surprise. But Tommy. There was a weird and wild ferocity to him that was almost feral. His arms and legs were all over the place and his moves were strange and erratic. He was good for sure! But no match for Johnny. Tommy had ferocity. Johnny had finesse. Grace. Elegance. And above all, power! The score was two-two but, in a final roundhouse to the sternum, Tommy was down.

"AND THE WINNER OF THE ALL VALLEY UNDER EIGHTEEN KARATE CHAMPIONSHIP 1983 AND NOW TWO-TIME CHAMPION IS JOHN LAWRENCE OF THE COBRA KAI!" The announcer bellowed over the general uproar that took over the tournament hall. I clapped until my hands stung as I watched the familiar blond figure get handed his trophy. The other Cobras were going mad and swarmed Johnny to congratulate him and I could hear Tommy's signature yelling. Turns out his voice carried even further than the movie showed.

I grinned. It was worth the bumpy journey and the sore legs to watch the tournament. Getting out of here should be easier.

I stood up and went to leave the stand.

"Hey, Izzi! Wait a minute!"

Oh noooo! I looked behind me and Jill was standing and fumbling to pick up her bag and talk to me at the same time. I couldn't get pinned by this woman again.

"It was really nice meeting you!" I called. "I have to go. My mum said she'll pick me up outside!" With that, I ran down the steps, bumping into a few people on the way. I heard a few disapproving tuts and murmurs but it didn't bother me much. I wouldn't see these people again anyway. I was just crossing the lobby when

"Hey you!"

I froze. Some security guard guy came walking up to me. Oh great! He had that upright-crossed-arms-and-slightly-frowning look of pretty much every movie authority figure I had ever seen.

"Can I see your ticket?"

I swallowed and fumbled in my pocket, knowing damn well that I didn't have one. What do I do now?

"I er... I think I dropped it." I said, feebly.

"Uh huh. I'm sure you did." the security guard said, raising an eyebrow. "Come on kid. I have to-..."

"Izzi! There you are!"

Jill came trotting up with Brian striding along behind her.

"Is there a problem?" She asked the security guard, drawing herself up to her fullest height (which wasn't much).

"Is this kid with you, ma'am?" The security guard asked her.

"She's a friend of my son's. Bobby? Who made the semis?" Jill said, crossing her arms.

The security guard looked between us for a moment or two, weighing up the situation, seeming unwilling to bend. However, when Brian caught up with his wife and stood at _his _fullest (a good six foot or more!) the guard crumbled.

"Well then, I er... I guess it's all ok." He said. He scuttled off and I turned, smiling, to Jill.

"Thanks!" I exclaimed.

Jill smiled.

"Anything for a friend of our boy." Brian boomed.

There were a few moments of awkward foot-shifting on my part but, eventually,

"Look, I really do need to go." I said, apologetically this time.

"We can give you a lift to wherever you need, if you want. Where are you headed?" Brian asked.

Could I never escape this couple? I had no idea how to answer this one. I was saved from having to answer when Jill made a sudden dash forwards ("Sweetheart you were amazing!") and Brian's attention was diverted and he joined her.

Bobby and all of the other Cobras, minus Johnny, had exited the changing rooms through a side door in the lobby, carrying their gis in bags, jackets slung over their backs. I was a little disappointed not to see Johnny with them. However, seeing as I was now left to my own devices, I guessed I should probably make my escape.

I turned and made for the door.

"Hey, Izzi!"

_Are you fucking kidding me right now?!_

I turned, slowly. Sure enough, my worst fears were confirmed. Jill was waving me over to her, standing next to Bobby who was looking thoroughly confused. My whole brain was going into a panic but I couldn't very well starhop from here. There were too many people around. Jill, Brian, Bobby and the rest of the Cobras came striding over to me. The six of them suddenly looked very intimidating from this angle.

Bobby looked at me with a look of utter bemusement on his face.

"I've never met this girl, mom." He said, firmly.

"Maybe from school? She said she knew you. You said you knew him." Jill said, rounding on me.

_Think of something_, said my brain.

"I... He... I thought he was someone else." I said, lamely. "We were pretty high up. I guess I was wrong."

Jill shrugged good naturedly.

"We're all human. Well, maybe you boys could let her come out with you anyway. She's new here." She addressed all the Cobras as one.

"Mom..." Bobby muttered, embarrassed.

"Yeah no! I don't think so!" I said, my brain turning itself inside out at the prospect of hanging out with these boys that I viewed as celebrities. I was barely holding it together as it was. "They won't want me gatecrashing their party."

"We don't mind!" Tommy piped up. All the others turned to scowl at him. He shrugged. "Why not, guys?"

Jill smiled and patted Bobby on the back before wandering over to where Brian stood.

"You want _that_ hanging out with us?" Dutch jerked a thumb at me. "Look at that hair. And the outfit! She looks like a guy."

I shot him a look. I had never liked Dutch.

_Yeah, well, pardon me for not wearing my Sunday best_, I thought. I looked down at my shapeless blue hoodie and skinny jeans which ended in purple doc martens. I hadn't planned on introducing myself. I was just there to watch the tournament.

"I dunno..." Tommy said, appraising me. "I kinda like the hair. Sorta... Jamie Lee-Curtis, right?"

Dutch snorted."If you say so, man." He shook his head and walked over to see Johnny who had just appeared out of the changing rooms, holding his massive trophy. Dutch, Bobby and Jimmy gave him hearty slaps on the back mingled with a bunch of incomprehensible congratulations. Tommy hung back with me.

There was silence for a moment as Tommy simply looked at me.

"You might want to go and congratulate your friend." I said, jerking my head over at Johnny and the others.

"Eh. I can thank him for kickin' my ass later." Tommy grinned. "We're just going to be hanging out at Johnny's girlfriend's place with a few guys from school. You wanna come?"

" I don't think Du-... your friend is too keen on the idea of a plus one." I said.

Tommy shrugged and rammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Dutch can be kind of a jerk." He looked me straight in the eye. "So, you coming to hang out or what?"

_No way_, said my brain. _Out of the question! I never meant to get involved with the inhabitants of this world. Just to observe. I absolutely will not hang out with you!_

"Sure." My mouth seemed to say without any input from my brain and I did a swift double take as Tommy grinned wider.

"Cool, then!" He said, brightly. "C'mon! I'll introduce you!" He gestured for me to follow and I couldn't very well refuse him at this point, so I followed, somewhat sheepishly.

We approached the assembled Cobras and I could already feel the blood rushing to my face which only doubled as Johnny looked up at me from under his immaculately swept fringe. My God, this boy was beautiful! I was having to bite my own tongue to try and keep control. In this world, he was just another guy. Just another student from the Cobra Kai dojo. I couldn't let on that, in my world, he was a legend of 80's cinema.

I must have been staring because Johnny scowled as he looked at me. I immediately became very interested in the shiny, white floor.

Dutch was standing with his arms crossed, looking at me with fairly obvious contempt.

"Hey, guys. Izzi's comin' with us. That cool?" Tommy asked.

Still staring at the floor, I didn't see the reactions but I heard Dutch snort again. My hackles rose.

"Whatever, man. I don't really care. You look after her." Said Johnny's voice. "Hey!" He got my attention and I looked up. "You can hang with us tonight seeing as you're new here but don't get used to it." With that, he adjusted his grip on his trophy and marched out of the building, followed by the other three Cobras.

Geez. Never meet your heroes.

"Nice guy." I said, sarcastically, to Tommy, who was still beside me.

"He's cool when you get to know him." Tommy said. "Come on. Bobby's dad is giving us a ride."


	2. Drinking Buddy

**Drinking Buddy**

I sat in the back of Brian's car in the middle with Tommy on my right and, of all people, Dutch on my left. It felt so surreal. Just a few hours ago, I'd intended to sneak in and watch the tournament then sneak out and go home. Now I was shoulder to shoulder with two Cobras in the back of a car, driving through the night. Bobby was riding shotgun. Apparently Jill had brought her car too, to transport Johnny and Jimmy.

Dutch had his chin in one hand and was staring out of the window at the dark road, lit only by street lamps beyond.

"So where d'you come from?" Tommy was asking me.

"England." I replied, shortly (and perhaps unintelligently).

"Well, yeah, obviously. But, like, which part? London?"

I snorted.

"Every American who asks me that says "London" straight away. I don't know why! No. I'm from East Anglia."

Tommy looked blank.

"That bumpy bit on the right near France." I summed up.

Tommy nodded.

"Well, how come you're here?" he asked. "You moved here?"

"Eh... something like that." I said. I couldn't tell the truth. "So er.. Johnny's girlfriend. What's her name?" I asked, hoping to divert the conversation.

"Ali. She's nice. You'll like her. Hey, so, where you staying while you're here?"

"Ok, I feel like I'm being interviewed here!" I said, honestly, laughing a little.

Tommy sniggered.

"Sorry. You can't blame me for being interested, though. I was just thinkin', if you're close by you could come hang out some time."

"Dude." Dutch said, darkly, from my left.

"What!?"

Bobby shot a look back at Dutch from the front passenger seat and Dutch didn't respond, but resumed his staring out of the window.

"I won't be here long anyway," I tried to placate Dutch, subtly, "and, anyway, I feel like I'm really not your kind of people." I'd never been great at making friends, even in my own world. I didn't see why here should be any different. I credited my figuring out how to starhop to being a fairly lonely kid, as pathetic as that sounds. But it did mean that I'd been to a load of cool places and met a bunch of characters that I liked.

"Well, you don't know until you try, right?" Tommy reasoned, "and, hey. We can hang out while you're here, even if one of us wants to be an asshole about it!" he shot that last barb at Dutch who snapped his head round to snarl at him.

"Watch it, Tommy!"

"Hey!" Brian called. "Knock it off!"

We pulled up outside the Mills's family home in Encino. Damn. This house was even bigger and more impressive in person than on screen. I was first out and stood waiting while the others all got out of the car and stood, organising getting their bags and Tommy's trophy back home and who would give who a lift later and etc. I wasn't paying much attention. I wanted to find something. I wandered slowly up the steps and sat on the top to wait for them. While I was there, I put a hand out and casually rested it on the low brick border. I wiggled. There it was! The brick was already loose. So the brick that Daniel kicked off the top had been that way for nearly a year by the time of the movie. I giggled inwardly as the others made their way up the steps.

Ali's house was amazing and well kept and tidy. I felt incredibly scruffy and out of place by comparison. It was all expensive, hardwood furnishings with ornate carved panels, lush upholstery on all the chairs and sofas, luxurious carpets, twisting wooden staircase. Yikes. I pulled my sleeves down, self-consciously.

There weren't a lot of people here. No more than thirty, maybe less. All sixteen to eighteen year olds and apparently all rich kids, standing around chatting, drinking or bobbing to painfully mid-eighties music playing out of a bulky music system.

I spotted Johnny who had walked up to Ali to have her wind her arms around his waist and kiss him passionately. I looked away, simmering with a jealousy I knew I'd feel. I knew he was with her and he would be for a long time to come.

Tommy wandered up beside me.

"You alright? You've barely moved since we came in."

"Uh... yeah. I just feel very... wrong." I said. I levered my feet out of my Doc Martens and left them by the door as Tommy led me through to the family room.

"Hey, try this," Tommy said, cheerfully, handing me a glass with some kind of drink in it. It was a light, yellowish colour. "it's good."

"What is it?" I asked, apprehensively.

"You'll like it." Tommy insisted.

I shot him an unconvinced look and tentatively took a sip.

I coughed and wiped my mouth on my sleeve as Tommy burst into laughter. It had burned and tasted vile.

"Yuck! Where on Earth did you get that!?"

"I know! It's gross huh!?" Tommy laughed, raucously.

"It's disgusting! What was it?!" I asked, still trying to rid my mouth of the taste.

"I have no idea! One of the guys gave it to me." Tommy admitted, still laughing. "Hold on. I'll get ya another drink. Whatcha want?"

"D'you think rich kids have coke?" I asked.

"Sure. Wait here." Tommy said, still giggling, and trotted off, leaving me in the family room, once again amongst these people that I didn't know. I didn't like being here on my own. I was being stared at. I could feel people's eyes on me as I sat on the sofa. No-one seemed as though they wanted to actually talk to me. They just stared. I shifted uneasily and tried not to meet anyone's gaze. I'd forgotten how intimidating highschoolers could be. I could still see Johnny and Ali with their arms around each other in the hall, chatting with another high school couple. Jimmy could be seen deep in conversation too. I couldn't see Bobby just at the moment.

It wasn't long before Tommy came sauntering back and plonked himself down in the sofa next to me, handing me a can of coke, one in his other hand for himself.

I popped the ring-pull and took a swig and watched for a moment as Tommy did the same.

"Why are you hanging out with me?" I asked. "Wouldn't you rather be with your crew?"

Tommy just shrugged.

"I dunno. I see 'em everyday. I met you _today_ and you seem cool." Tommy said.

I blushed.

"I'm not exactly cool..." I trailed off. "But thanks." I smiled up at him and he returned it. "I'm not exactly dressed my best here." I said, pulling at my sleeves again, looking around at all the well dressed teens around me. "Dutch had a point when he made fun of my dress sense." I laughed awkwardly but Tommy didn't seem to hear me. Or care.

"Hey! So you know how gross that drink was?" He suddenly started. "There was this one time a few weeks ago. Me and the guys went to this bar in town and I'd got this fake ID right? I made myself, like, twenty-five or something. We were gonna try our first beers but the bartender saw through us. It wasn't good." He started to laugh again.

Engaged in his story, I leant forwards, grinning.

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, I guess my ID was no good."

"He didn't serve you?"

"Oh he served us! He gave us all a pint of dirty dishwater each."

I wrinkled my nose.

"Eurgh! I hope you didn't drink any of it."

"I drank the whole glass!"

"Ew! What!? Why!?"

"I didn't know what beer was supposed to taste like! I just thought we had beer!" Tommy cackled as he told his own story.

"Oh my God! That's crazy! I've known how beer tastes since I was like, what... ten!?"

"How!?"

"Duh! Straight-up took a swig out of my Dad's glass at Christmas when he fell asleep in front of the TV! You've never done something like that!?

Tommy shook his head.

"I hated it." I continued. "It tasted nasty. My parents keep telling me I'll learn to like alcohol when I'm older but I doubt it. I don't even like the teeny drop of wine they let us have on special occasions."

"Hey, is it true that the drinking age in the UK is eighteen?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah." I responded. "What is it here? Twenty?"

"Twenty-one. No fair!"

And so we sat, swapping stories and trivia for the next hour. Tommy was so easy to talk to and he had me laughing until my sides hurt and I forgot about the surrounding pairs of eyes. Tommy seemed to entirely forget that he was here to celebrate the tournament. But I didn't. I reminded him of it and, once or twice, we got up to wander around the house and Tommy was congratulated and I was stared at. Johnny didn't seem to be anywhere around now, despite how much I swivelled my head around to find him. I was immensely sorry when the hall clock chimed ten and Bobby came wandering through to round up the Cobras and get us back in his Dad's car.

Johnny miraculously appeared again as we were piling into the two cars and sucked face with Ali (what did I expect?) before joining Jimmy in Bobby's mum's car.

I'd been having such a good time that I'd forgotten myself.

"So where are we takin' ya, Izzi?"

Uh oh...

"Er... You can just drop me anywhere."

_Well, of course, that's going to go down well._

"We can't just drop you anywhere. Where are you staying?" Brian said, looking at me in his rear-view mirror.

"Um... Reseda. South Seas apartments." I said. It was the first thing that came into my head but it seemed to work.

"Alright." Brian called. "That's not far from Tommy so I'll drop you there first, right after we drop Bobby."

"Hey, I guess I'll see you on the bus tomorrow?" Tommy said, questioningly.

"Oh, I'm not going to the school here. I'm home taught."

This was a fairly easy one, seeing as, even in my own world, this was true. I'd done all of half a term in high school where I was bullied mercilessly and suffered anxiety disorders and stress and my mum had pulled me out and taught me herself, along with my stepdad.

"Really? That's weird but kinda cool." Tommy said (but I could tell he was a little unsure this time).

Dutch pulled a face at him.

"Cool? She's a loser, man. Home taught kids don't know shit about anything." He spat.

"Hey!" Brian snapped at him for the second time that night.

"And I suppose you have a far superior cerebral capacity in that hollow cranium of yours do you?" I said, not entirely sure that what I'd said had made total sense but Dutch's mouth worked awkwardly for a moment, unable to respond to a jab he hadn't understood. Defeated, he scoffed and looked back out of the window.

"Oooh! She got you, man!" Tommy giggled.

"Shut your ass, Tommy." Dutch muttered.

"Language!" Brian called.

Brian pulled up by South Seas and I twisted to undo my belt.

"Maybe we can hang out after school tomorrow." Tommy said, smiling. "We're going to the arcade if you wanna come along?" He looked at me hopefully.

I looked at him. I'd just about managed to escape for today. But I had to admit, I'd had fun, even if it meant not really seeing Johnny (and any time I _had _seen him, he'd been draped over Ali). But Tommy was nice. So...

"Yeah. Sure."

"Cool! We could pick you up?"

"...You know...actually. I'll come to the school. I know where it is."

Tommy smiled.

"Great. Ok so... see you tomorrow, I guess."

I smiled back at him. His smile was so infectious. His whole face smiled.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow. Have a good night."

Tommy pulled the car door shut and waved as the car pulled away down the street. I waved back, smiling wider. Sweet guy. You'd never know it from the movie.

I turned to face South Seas. Well. It wouldn't be too difficult to find a good spot to hop from here.


	3. Bits and Pieces

I was true to my word. With that familiar snap, I landed on the road just outside the school. It was still bright and sunny and the golden sun beat down on the street outside. The bell hadn't rung yet. I'd arrived with fifteen minutes to spare, more to take in the scenery. Daniel's mum hadn't been wrong about the palm trees. A few of them swayed in the gentle breeze by the road and they were so much taller than I was expecting. I'd had the presence of mind to choose an outfit slightly more becoming than my scrappy old hoodie this time with a fitted, pastel pink sweater along with my usual skinny jeans and purple docs.

There was a small clump of trees a little way off from the bus stop so I stood in the dappled shade to wait, only now feeling the slight twist in my stomach from nerves. Not only would I be seeing this unpredicted friend again, but the whole group of them would be there and all hanging out in the same place this time! It's not like we could escape into a fancy living room out of the way.

What had I been thinking!? This was a stupid idea!

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!_

I still had time. I could bolt. I could hop back to my own world and pretend it never happened. Tommy had probably forgotten our deal and the others would be relieved anyway.

But the thought of hanging out in the same vicinity as Johnny kept my feet rooted to the spot for just long enough.

"Hey! Izzi!"

I looked up. Tommy was jogging up to me, a grin on his face and his hair reacting to his movement and the breeze. He was heaving his bag up to his shoulder as he approached. I glanced behind him to see the other Cobras wandering slowly towards me too, none of them paying any attention to me or Tommy. Johnny seemed to be holding court, talking animatedly to the other three who all grinned and nodded their approval at whatever it was that he was saying.

Tommy reached me.

"You made it!" He said, with a grin.

I smiled back.

"Yup. Told you I knew where it was. Also, I'm not dressed as a sack this time." I pointed out, gesturing at my outfit.

Tommy sniggered.

"The sweater was fine! You worry about that a lot huh?"

"I don't so much. Dutch does." I pointed out.

"Eh, ignore him. Dutch is kind of a..." but he trailed off as Dutch came up behind him and swung a hefty arm over his shoulders.

"You sure you wanna finish that sentence, Tommy?" he asked, half joking, half threatening.

"Hey, Dutch." Tommy said, simply.

Dutch retrieved his arm and stepped forwards, looking straight at me. "And what about you, Home-School? You wanna hang out with us?"

I wasn't sure if he'd meant it to sound threatening but, at any rate, I shrugged.

"I want to hang out with _Tommy_, but I'll put up with you if I have to."

Dutch's face dropped and Tommy stood, trying to stifle a shocked giggle behind him. Dutch stepped up close to me so he was inches away.

"You know, you got a crappy attitude, Home-School."

"Look who's talking!"

I knew I was just poking a sleeping bear here but I figured it was worth knowing how bad Dutch could be. But, as it turned out, he was called off by Johnny.

"Dutch! C'mon, man! Forget her. Let's go."

Keeping his eyes on me for a second, Dutch backed off before eventually turning and joining the rest of the Cobras.

Tommy shook his head.

"You're just askin' for trouble. You know that?" He giggled. "Not a lot of people talk back to Dutch."

"Eh. What's he gonna do? Give me a black eye?" I shrugged.

"The rest of us wouldn't. Dutch _might_." Tommy said, moderately serious for the first time. "Just... maybe don't talk back so much."

"He deserves it for being such a jerk yesterday," I said, reasonably. "but, sure." With a sincere smile, I nodded over at the others all assembled by the bus stop. "So... we going?"

"Oh! Yeah. C'mon!"

Tommy led me over to the bus stop with the others. Dutch gave me a filthy look as I approached, and turned away. The others didn't look quite so belligerent but there was still a definite chill in the air. I was doing my best to avoid Johnny's gaze as I could feel the blood rushing to my face out of nerves and abashment. He was so beautiful! He was tall, even for a soon-to-be seventeen-year-old and his hair, as always was perfectly brushed and as golden as the afternoon sun. He wore a blue plaid shirt with his Walkman headphones looped over his neck and he stood with his weight on one leg, hands on hips. I could feel his eyes on me as I stood next to Tommy on the pavem-..sorry...sidewalk.

It hit me that we were all standing, waiting for the bus and suddenly, something seemed off.

"Wait. Don't you guys have bikes?" I asked, without really thinking.

The guys all shot each other looks.

"Me and Dutch just got ours," Johnny said, a slight scowl of confusion on his face, "but the others don't yet."

"Right. Right." I said, feeling my cheeks go pink.

"How did-..."

"Well, you just seem like the kind of cool guys who'd have bikes. That's all." I said, quickly, covering my tracks as best I could. I was so dumb!

The bus pulled up and we piled on. Tommy pulled me over to a seat and enthusiastically insisted I sit by the window.

"I'll give you a guided tour... er... well, kinda." He grinned.

I let loose a small laugh.

"Thanks. You'd better point out the best places to eat too. I'm getting peckish."

"Really? Oh... wait..." Tommy rummaged in his school bag.

"What are you-..." I began to say when Tommy suddenly pulled out a handful of yellow, orange and brown candy with a flourish. "What's that?"

"You serious?" Tommy asked, apparently dumbfounded and with his dramatic reveal ruined. "Reese's Pieces! You've never had these?"

I shook my head.

"Try 'em!" Tommy ordered.

"Awww!" Dutch mocked from across the gangway. "Tommy's sharin' his candy with a girl like a kid!" He laughed, thuggishly, joined by the other Cobras from various positions on the bus.

Completely un-phased, Tommy swiftly flipped him the bird without looking at him.

With a smirk, I grabbed one. I was just about to pop it in my mouth when..

"Hold on, were these loose in your bag?" I asked, laughing.

Tommy looked shifty.

"Maybe..."

I shook my head, still laughing.

"Well, there had better not be any socks in there." With that, I popped the candy in my mouth.

Tommy was looking at me, expectantly.

"They're good!" I assured him.

The bus pulled up outside "Golf 'n' Stuff" and I couldn't help but grin all over my face as I stepped down off the bus and took a look around. I couldn't decide where to look first. From the gigantic water slide to the mini golf, the dodgems, the arcade, everything lit up and garish but I loved it. I must have looked like an idiot, grinning and turning in circles as the Cobras stepped off the bus because I heard Johnny's disapproving voice

"Tommy. Take care of your pet space cadet. We're going to the arcade."

I stopped, immediately, with a blush on my cheeks. Crap. The last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself in front of him. I watched his ruby red jacketed back moving away towards the arcade with Dutch, Bobby and Jimmy in toe, a king and his subjects. He was tying the black band around his head as he went.

"Shit." I mumbled.

Tommy pulled a comb out of his pocket and held it under his nose.

"Language!" He said, sternly, scowling and putting a hand on his hip.

I burst out laughing.

"Brian right!?"

Tommy giggled and nodded. He stuffed the comb back in his pocket.

"So. You wanna eat first or check out the arcade_ then _eat?" he asked. "I got more Reese's Pieces." He added, with a grin, indicating his bag.

"Well, with high protein food like that, who needs to worry? We'd better get in the arcade!" I said, grinning.

Tommy actually bounced with excitement.

"Awesome! C'mon! I wanna show you this new game that just came out! It looks so cool!"

I laughed inwardly. Having come from the year 2006, I highly doubted that a game from 1983 would impress me all that much. Regardless, I let myself get led into the noisy arcade. It was all blinking lights and bleeping sounds in here. Kids either whooped in victory or growled with frustration, looming over various arcade machines. I could pick out a load of the classics. Pac-man, Donkey Kong, Centipede, Frogger, all with their particular flavour of 80's 8-Bit era charm.

Tommy pulled me over to a particular machine to the right of the door. "Dragon's Lair". Ok. I'd never heard of this one.

"Check this out!" Tommy was saying. He pushed a couple of coins into the machine and the thing loaded.

I hadn't been expecting this. A 2D animated knight appeared on-screen and, as Tommy started to play, it looked as though he was controlling an actual cartoon. It was a far cry from the blocky, clunky affairs that surrounded us. The animation was super smooth to boot.

"Awesome, huh!?" Tommy said, excitedly. "It's like playing a movie. And the girl's super hot!" He added.

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Typical boy." I muttered.

"It's super hard too. Like, you have to know, in a split second whether to move forward or left or right or whatever, or use your sword. Guess it wrong and you d-..."

Tommy was cut off as a bunch of green, tentacle-y things reached through the ceiling and grabbed the knight, presumably dragging him to his death.

"...you die." Tommy finished, flatly.

I giggled.

"It's so cool. I think it's by Don Bluth."

Tommy looked at me, quizzically.

"Oh. An animator. His movies are really good."

"How'd'ya know that?" Tommy asked, apparently impressed.

I merely shrugged.

"Eh. I like cartoons and movies. What can I say? Ok. Step aside. I want a turn."

We spent the next God-knows-how-long trying our level best to finish the game between us, but to no avail. We put up a good fight! We got a good way through the game, both of us dying our share of spectacular, cartoony deaths. Eventually, though, we threw in the towel.

"I'm gonna run out if I keep pouring money into this thing." Tommy observed.

"Maybe we can come back and try our luck some other time." I suggested.

Tommy nodded, smiling.

"Yeah! That'd be cool." He adjusted his jacket and rammed his hands into his pockets. "Ok. You were hungry. Burger?"

"Wait, where are the others? I thought they said they were coming in here." I said, realising for the first time since we'd arrived that they were nowhere to be seen.

"They said they were trying some shooting game. I dunno. We can find them later."

"They wouldn't want food too?" I weedled.

Tommy threw his head back with over-the-top exasperation.

"Uuuuuugh! Fiiiiiiine! We'll look for 'em!" He groaned. He righted his head and grinned. "C'mon." He added.

After not very long searching, we found the others, just as Tommy had said, by a shooting game. Currently, it seemed to be Dutch versus Jimmy. I wasn't really paying attention though. I was looking at Johnny leaning his weight against a game machine, one leg bent with his foot against it, thumbs in his jacket pockets so his arms hung casually. It was as though he'd posed himself like that! He turned his head as he saw us approach.

"Hey, Tommy, there you are." He said, completely ignoring me. "Where you been, man? We need someone to beat Dutch's best score."

As if to punctuate his statement, Dutch whooped and Jimmy let his gun fall by his side in defeat.

"Undefeated!" Dutch, crowed, loudly.

I pulled a face.

"I'll give it a go." I heard my mouth say.

All five Cobras turned to look at me and I felt my mouth instantly go dry. Why had I said that?

Johnny snorted, incredulously, and looked me up and down.

"You? Beat Dutch?" He sneered. "Give it a try if you want, Princess. But don't cry when he wins."

I shrugged off the slightly painful barb and stepped up to Jimmy, holding my hand out for the gun.

"May I?"

Jimmy pulled an uncertain expression and handed the rifle over.

"You're headin' for a humiliation. I'll give you that for free." He said, and wandered over to join the others.

Dutch cricked his neck, loudly and needlessly, and held the rifle up to his cheek. I did the same. I had done archery. This couldn't be all that different, right?

As it turned out, my archery skills came in handy with my aim. I squeezed the trigger over and over again, making some pretty nice shots as the dots whizzed across the screen. In fact, Dutch and I weren't too many points out. Dutch was ahead by just a handful. I chanced a glance over and saw his face set in a look of grim determination.

The game ended and, as it turned out, Dutch won by his few points over me. Dammit. I'd been hoping to impress the others but no luck.

"Still undefeated! But that's not surprising." He added, poisonously.

"I dunno, man. She came pretty close." Bobby said, fairly.

I steeled myself.

"I want another go." I said, determined.

Dutch whipped round to face me.

"I beat you fair and square. No need to be a sore loser." He spat.

"I'm not. I'm just asking for a rematch." I said, calmly.

"Well you ain't gettin' one!"

"Nuh uh. I wanna see this." Johnny said, crossing his arms with a smirk, from his spot by the machine (Mrs. Pacman, as I just noticed).

"C'mon, man..!" Dutch protested.

"What? You afraid you'll get beaten by a girl?" Johnny mocked.

I could see the conflict in Dutch's head as he looked back at me. Which was worse? Turning down a challenge, or getting beaten by me? Eventually, he picked the rifle back up.

"Fine." He muttered.

This time, I concentrated so hard on the screen, everything else surrounding it seemed to go black. My arms started to ache from how firmly I gripped the rifle to keep it steady. I didn't look at Dutch. I didn't look at his score. I didn't pay any attention to the eagerly awaiting Cobras. I just pointed the gun and squeezed the trigger.

"Oooh, dude!"

A sudden cry from Tommy pulled me out of my trance as the game bleeped to a finish.

Dutch threw the rifle down in a rage and stomped off, shoving his way past a jeering Bobby and Tommy.

I glanced up at the screen now I was back in the real world. I'd won. Only by a mere three points. But it counted! I'd beaten Dutch's high score!

Johnny raised his eyebrows.

"He's not gonna forgive you for that for a very long time." He said, quietly.

I cringed. Shit. Had I put my foot in it again?

"I suppose you want me to apologise?" I said.

"Are you kidding? No-one's ever beaten Dutch's high score before! ...You know something? You're alright, Princess." Johnny said, nodding.

"My name's Izzi, actually..." I started, but a cold look from Johnny shut me up.

"Hey. You get a free pass to hang out with us today, but that doesn't mean you get to talk back." He said in a warning tone.

I nodded, not sure how else to respond.

Tommy stepped up.

"Victory burger now?"


	4. His and Hers

"So, where do you guys do karate?" I asked Tommy, as if I didn't know. The six of us were all sitting on a cliff top, chilling out and eating snacks we'd bought from a little place in town. Dutch hadn't even looked in my direction since I'd humiliated him at the arcade about a week ago now, and he'd tried to get Johnny to drive me away but Johnny, for whatever reason, had refused and let me stick around (even though he didn't really talk to me beyond "Hey" when I arrived).

Tommy was lying on his back, propped up on his elbows, swigging stolen beer (although he hadn't told me exactly where he'd stolen it_ from_).

"The Cobra Kai dojo. It's intense! Sensei Kreese is like this ex-army dude and he's crazy tough but that's what makes him so cool, you know?"

"Uh huh." I said, taking a gulp of my cola. I knew the film well enough that I knew they were all in for a rude awakening in about a year from now, but I kept it to myself. I didn't need to tell them their Sensei was a world-class twat! "Ever have girls ask to join?" I asked.

Tommy giggled.

"Yeah right! Girls doing karate...!" He chuckled and took another swig of beer.

"Well do you?" I pushed.

"Of course not! Girls don't like karate. They like shopping and stuff."

I rolled my eyes. Oh boy! Sexism was obviously rife in 1983!

"Well, what about me? I like karate." I reasoned. "I came to the tournament didn't I?"

"Well, yeah. To observe! It's not like you'd actually participate." Tommy countered.

"So, I wouldn't know that Johnny won the tournament with a _mawashi-geri_ then?" I smirked and crossed my arms as I watched the cogs in Tommy's head turn.

"...Huh?" He said, after a time.

"A roundhouse kick, genius!" I laughed.

"Wait, how did you know that?"

"I do karate back in my own... town. You know, in England." I said. Ooft! That had been close! I'd almost said "In my own world."

"_You_ do karate?" Said a voice that wasn't Tommy's. I turned to see Bobby leaning on Johnny's dirt bike, appraising me with genuine interest.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm only green belt right now but I'm not doing badly. I was kinda thinking I might join your dojo, if the Sensei will have me." I said, getting up to put my cola can in the trash.

This seemed to stir something around all the Cobras. Johnny, Bobby and Jimmy laughed, Dutch made some odd noise of contempt and Tommy frowned.

"_You_ want to join _our _dojo?" Tommy said, and I couldn't figure out his tone. Was it patronising? Confused? Concerned?

"Yeah. It could be fun." I said. This sparked another round of snorts of laughter.

"Sensei would never take you." Dutch threw at me. "Even if you weren't a girl, you're a weakling. What use are you in a fight?"

"Gee thanks." I said.

"Well it's true."

"And you know this, how?"

Dutch finished his beer, threw the can at the ground and grabbed me. I tried to block him but he hooked my leg and threw me down heavily on the grass. I landed with a thump, flat on my back. I lay there, winded, for a moment or two. Wow! Dutch was just a solid wall of muscle! He'd looked pretty tough and bulldog-ish on screen but it was nothing to actually getting thrown by him.

"That's how." Dutch replied.

"Hey!" Tommy shouted, leaping up. "Knock it off, man! She's a girl!" His hands balled into fists and he shifted into a fighting stance automatically but Dutch was apparently in no mood for any serious sparring and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Tommy."

He wandered off to grab another can, high-fiving Johnny on the way.

Bobby shook his head.

"Hey, that wasn't cool, man." He said to Dutch in a low voice.

"Made a point, didn't I?" Dutch shrugged and released the ring-pull of his new can of beer.

Tommy scowled and held out a hand to help me up. I took it and Tommy hauled me upright.

"Thanks." I wheezed, rubbing my back as best I could, twisting my arm weirdly to reach the throbbing impact point.

"You okay?"

"A little achey but I think I'm alright." I said, honestly. "Geez. Dutch doesn't go lightly does he!"

"You can't "go lightly" if you're Cobra Kai." Johnny weighed in. "You strike first and you strike hard. That's the way of the fist. Dutch is right. You'd never be a Cobra."

That made up my mind. I was determined I was going to impress Johnny. And if this is what it took, so be it. Hell, I had a few years karate experience under my belt already (no pun intended) so maybe Sensei Kreese wouldn't think me as useless as these guys obviously did. I was aware I was walking into the lion's den with a steak hung round my neck but I so wanted Johnny to think I was cool.

"We'll see, shall we?" I said, straightening up and setting my jaw, staring directly at "King Karate" as Daniel had once put it. "What day do you guys train? I'm gonna sign up."

Far from acting impressed, the Cobras all laughed again and even Tommy smirked.

"You'd get killed in your first lesson." Jimmy informed me, smirking with his arms crossed.

"Right, man. Just forget it." Johnny added.

"What. _Day_!?" I shouted.

The Cobras all shut up then and there was a shocked silence for a moment.

"Thursdays." Bobby said, quietly, after a time. "But, I tell you it's a bad idea. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Yeah, thanks. So you've already said." I replied, snippily.

Tommy was glancing between me and the other Cobras, apparently unsure who he should be siding with.

I dropped back down on the grass of our little cliff top and crossed my arms moodily around my knees as I stared out towards the horizon, quietly seething. Damn, these guys were pricks! I'd show them! I'd be awesome when I joined Cobra Kai!

Tommy licked his lips awkwardly before sitting back down next to me.

"Hey.. check this out.." he said, trying his best to smooth things out and get back to normal again. He reached into his school bag that lay on the grass and pulled out an old Walkman (well... a_ new _Walkman, most likely but, to me, it looked like a relic. I couldn't help but snort slightly).

"What kinda music do you like? I'm a rock guy myself." Tommy grinned.

"Rock's cool." I said, smiling.

I looked critically at the thin halo of steel, the mid-bar of a pair of sad looking headphones.

"But I think I have a better idea than those things," I said, rummaging in my pocket, praying that I still had them when I hopped. After a moment of digging in three different pockets, I found them in the back pocket of my jeans; my aqua blue earbud headphones. I held them up triumphantly but Tommy just looked confused.

"Next question; do they fit? May I?" I asked, and took Tommy's Walkman from him. He let it go and watched with apparent fascination as I plugged the earbuds into the headphone jack. I put one earbud in and hit play, listening intently. A rock song started to play. It had worked!

"Yesss!" I cried, happily. "This'll make it easier for both of us to... hold on. Is that Billy Idol?" I asked, listening more closely. 'Rebel Yell'. I looked at Tommy, impressed. "Niiiice! You're talking my language." I laughed.

"...the hell?" Was all Tommy said.

"Huh?" I said, removing the earbud I had in.

"What the hell kinda headphones are these?" Tommy asked.

Oh. It hadn't occurred to me that earbud headphones weren't a thing here. It was such a small, trivial detail that it simply hadn't occurred to me. I hadn't got a music player on my own world until just a year ago and I'd seen kids with earbuds for ages.

"They're... English?!" I offered.

Tommy looked unconvinced.

"Just put one in." I ordered, trying to keep this scenario moving forward so this wasn't dwelled on for too long.

Tommy picked up an earbud and looked at it with an odd mix of confusion and what could have been mild disgust. He gingerly placed it in his ear... and immediately pulled a face.

"It's uncomfortable!" he whinged.

"At least it's easier for us_ both_ to listen to music this way." I pointed out, and replaced my own earbud and pressed play. Tommy's expression instantly changed to one of impressed surprise. "See? Better right?" I pushed. Tommy nodded.

"It's super clear!" He exclaimed.

Well... that was a push. The old cassette was still crackly and a little dull but it had to be better quality than what we'd get through those 80's efforts.

So we sat there on the grass, listening to Tommy's mix tape on the cliff top, completely ignoring the others. Dutch mocked us but Tommy threw his beer can at him amid laughter and didn't move. I wished I could show Tommy some of the music from my own world but knew it would be impossible. Well. Not exactly impossible, just not altogether a good idea. Especially since the movie hadn't happened yet. I didn't want to rip some hole in the space time continuum or something (a la Doctor Who). I wasn't even sure if that was how it worked. But I wouldn't risk it. Maybe some day in the future I'd be able to show him some favourites from British bands and lie that they just hadn't made it over to America or something.

I shook my head, realising that I was making plans for more than a year on from now. Pull it together! I was here to hang out. It's not like I planned to move here (not that that was even possible).


	5. Brat

That Thursday I was ready for them. I stood outside the Cobra Kai dojo, slouched against the wall, when I saw the Cobras walking up the street. I was going to give this a shot whether they liked it or not. The day was an overcast but dry one, the sky as white as a sheet of cartridge paper, and I'd hopped not far away, just around the corner from the dojo. I smirked as I saw the Cobras approaching, as usual with Johnny heading the pack, speaking to Dutch with exaggerated hand gestures, the others all laughing as Johnny told his story. All five of them were carrying gym bags, no doubt containing their gis.

As they drew closer, Jimmy spotted me and slapped Tommy on the chest with the back of his hand. Tommy looked at him quizzically and Jimmy gestured over to where I stood, leaning on the thin strip of cream wall to the right of the door, the almost comically enormous cut-out of the dojo's signature cobra above my head. Tommy came cantering up in his usual, ungainly way and I couldn't help but smile.

"Told you." I said, simply, as he reached me.

"You really are crazy." Tommy said, disbelievingly, by way of greeting.

"Hello to you too." I reprimanded him, light-heartedly. But Tommy was having none of it.

"Hey. You didn't say hi either." He pointed out. "So, what, you're really doing this?"

"Uh huh. I told you! I do karate already. I could do with some intense lessons." I patted his arm, playfully. "C'mon!"

"You're crazy..." Tommy said again, astonished.

"Let's see!" I replied, cheerfully. With that, I led the way into the dojo just as the other Cobras reached us.

"Oh, what the hell, man! She can't actually be serious! This is bullsh-..." and the door closed on Dutch's complaints.

I looked around me as I stepped in the door. I took in the surroundings I'd seen on screen so many times. Why was it only now that I was noticing that the walls were a particular shade of... well blue, I supposed, but a dull, greyish blue like a blackbird egg. I walked past the iconic cut-out of Sensei Kreese. There was shelf upon shelf of trophies as I walked down the short little corridor section and they filled the tiny room off to the right too. On the last trophy, nearest to the main dojo itself, I could see Johnny's name. And, below it, on a lower shelf, was Tommy's smaller second-place trophy. So they all ended up here.

I looked into the dojo to see some of the students already milling around, warming up. Tommy was right. All of them were guys and I suddenly felt incredibly conspicuous as I stood there in all my _not_-a-guy glory. It didn't help that half the students had looked up and seen me as I walked in and were now getting the attention of their follows so they could all turn their heads and stare at me. Yikes!

I wasn't entirely sure what I should do or say. Kreese didn't seem to be here yet. Or, if he was, he was in the back in, what I supposed were the changing rooms. All I could really think of to do was to simply stand defiant in the face of ridicule. ...Or the _multiple _faces of ridicule, as it was.

I was still standing there staring when I felt a pretty solid force hit my shoulder and shove me forwards a little way.

Dutch smirked as he sauntered past, having just shoulder-bumped me. Prick. I'd show him!

Eventually, Kreese appeared in the door to the probably-changing-rooms. He simply stood there for a moment, arms crossed, appraising his group of "soldiers" when his eye fell on me. Slowly... ever so slowly... his head cocked to the side as he stared. The rest of the students all glanced between the two of us and fell silent. And now I realised how appropriate the cobra motif was. Being stared down by this guy, I felt like a mouse caught in the murderous gaze of a snake that was ready and poised to strike, waiting for me to move. Four out of five Cobras were still behind me and it was as though I could feel _their_ eyes on me too. The silence was crushing. But I started this. I wasn't going to bottle out now.

With a wave of renewed confidence, I levered my feet out of my boots and left them by the side of the mat. Slowly, and with every eye on me, I approached this snake. This sergeant. And he watched silently as I drew nearer, not seeming to blink.

I cleared my throat and stood as squarely as my nerves would allow.

"Sensei Kreese?" I enquired, fighting to keep my voice level, determined not to let my fear show (that would truly be the end).

The Sensei nodded his head once, slowly, still not speaking.

"I would like to sign up." I said, simply but firmly.

A number of sounds rippled around the students at this. Some stifled sniggers, some scoffed, others started whispering to their fellows.

"Quiet." Sensei Kreese said to his students, without raising his voice. They all obeyed him immediately and without question. The room went mute, instantly.

I swallowed, I hoped, imperceptibly.

Sensei Kreese looked me up and down, again slowly. Taking his time. Perhaps he wanted to prolong the intimidating silence and scare me. Well, if that was the case, it was working a treat! The hairs, not just on the back of my neck, but all over my body, were standing to attention as though sensing approaching lightening. I could feel my heart beating hard and I wondered, vaguely, if the Sensei could hear it.

After what felt like an hour, the corner of Kreese's lip curled into a sneer. A shiver went through me, though I tried to hide it. Kreese slowly unfolded his arms and held them out as though in welcome, but I felt anything but welcomed.

"Sure." He said, his deep voice practically dripping honey. "Why not? We could do with some fresh meat."

Ooft. I didn't like the way he said that, and the room started up with disbelieving and incredulous buzzing again. Dutch's jaw had dropped as he looked at his Sensei but the verdict had been passed. Nothing he could do about it now.

"Mr. Lawrence," Kreese barked.

"Yes, Sensei!" Johnny responded in that familiar, almost militant fashion.

"Get Miss..."

"Izzi Hurst." I answered.

"...Miss Hurst a gi."

Johnny's cold gaze fell on me and it was a few seconds before he answered.

"Yes, Sensei."

Johnny led me through to the back room. It turned out there was a locker room back here with showers in another room off to the side. I was silently led to a particularly tall locker in the corner and I stood there as Johnny opened it to reveal neatly folded gis of all sizes, stacked on top of one another. I stood there, shuffling my feet as Johnny started sorting through them, trying to find one that might fit me.

"Um... I'm a UK size 10 if that helps..." I ventured after a while.

"Not in the slightest." Was the response I got.

"Oh. Um... okay." I went back to my foot shuffling.

Eventually, Johnny held one up against me. I straightened up, silently obedient. It was a few inches to long.

"Dammit..." Johnny muttered, and went back to his rummaging.

"He seems cool, your Sensei." I said, attempting to make conversation.

"He is."

Okay. That was the end of that one.

Johnny pulled out another gi, noticeably smaller than the last. He held this one up against me too. It was still going to be baggy but it was better than the other one.

"Good enough." Johnny grumbled, and thrust it at me. I caught hold of it while Johnny retrieved the trousers for it and a white belt. "You'll have to change in the bathroom." Johnny said, without looking at me. "Unless you want the guys spying on you."

This was oddly considerate of him and I smiled slightly.

"Thanks." I said. "So, which way...?"

Johnny jerked his thumb back at the shower room door.

"Oh... of course. Thanks." I went to enter the shower room but Johnny put an arm out and placed his hand on the opposite door frame, blocking my way.

"Hey. A few tips. Don't talk back, keep your eyes open and don't tell him you already know karate." Johnny said in a low voice.

I stared up at him.

"Why shouldn't I tell him? Isn't it a good thing that I have experience?" I asked.

Johnny hissed.

"Just do as I say, okay!? The Sensei can be pretty rough. If he knows you already know some stuff, he might try and test you and, trust me, you don't want that."

I didn't know what to say. Johnny was actually looking out for me? My heart fluttered slightly at this and I hoped I wasn't blushing. I nodded. Johnny nodded too and left through the door we'd come in by. As the door opened, I could hear the other students beyond,

"Hey! Did you see her naked?"

"You feel her up?"

"What the hell is a _girl _doing here?"

I rolled my eyes and entered the shower room.

Once on the mat, Kreese ran through his whole spiel about "way of the fist" and "fear does not exist in this dojo" yadda yadda.

"What do we study here!?" He demanded of his students.

"The way of the fist, sir!"

"And what is that way!?"

"Strike first! Strike hard! No mercy, sir!" I joined in with the surrounding Cobras. I'd heard this so many times. So, I was prepared when Kreese ordered us to repeat it.

The training itself was surprisingly straightforward. Do thismove multiple times. Then swap and do it again. Now do _this_ move multiple times, and so on. It was all very uniform. Very military. Any time a student faltered or fell out of time with the others, he was bodily thrown from the formation and yelled at to perform x-amount of push-ups as punishment. It hit me that I wasn't actually being taught, just expected to fall into step with everyone else, which I was managing to do, thus far. Kreese moved slowly through the assembled students like a shark, and I knew enough to keep him in my peripheral the entire time. I didn't want to slammed to the ground by this guy too. Dutch was one thing, but this guy was like the Hulk! He was huge!

But I was in luck. He didn't try to take me by surprise, although, he did test a couple of his students, one of whom flinched and who was punished with push-ups.

Eventually, we were barked at to form a sparring ring. I swiftly marched over and knelt down by Tommy.

"Hey." I whispered, as loud as I dared.

Tommy simply shot me a look and shook his head, his lips remaining stubbornly sealed. I swallowed and nodded once, turning my attention to the ring.

"McQueen!" Kreese barked.

Dutch jumped to his feet.

I almost spluttered in shock but managed to stop myself. Dutch's surname was "McQueen"!? The same as the actor who played him? Now there was an interesting turn of events! I wondered, then, if Tommy's was "Garrison" and Jimmy's was "O'Dell" in keeping with that trend. Bobby and Johnny had surnames already, so it made sense they would keep them.

"Hurst!"

The whole dojo collectively turned their eyes on me.

I remained kneeling, stunned. He wanted me to fight _Dutch_!? This was my first day and, as far as Kreese was concerned, I was a total beginner. He couldn't mean me, surely!

"Hey! On your feet!" Kreese yelled at me.

Well... here went nothing. With a neat little leap, I managed the typical Cobra kneeling-to-standing move I'd seen on screen. Practising on the kitchen floor at home had paid off, it seemed. But now what? I'd already had proof that Dutch was more than a match for me.

Dutch smirked as I stepped up to the mark. I vaguely wondered if he'd made a special request to Kreese before the lesson. Twat. I wouldn't put it past him.

Kreese looped a red cloth through Dutch's belt and withdrew to the side of the mat before giving us a swift nod. Dutch bowed to Kreese and I followed suit. However, when I went to bow to Dutch, Dutch barely returned it. He just nodded and tapped the sides of his legs with his palms.

"On guard!"

Oh fuck... I dropped into a back-stance. I wanted to keep as much space between myself and Captain Bleach here as I could.

"Aitch!"

Here we go... With any luck he'd try his throw that he'd used on me the other day.

Dutch lurched forwards.

My anticipation paid off. Dutch went to grab me in exactly the same way and, this time, I managed to side step him. Now, I knew Dutch wasn't above head strikes, so I kept my hands high.

But that proved to be in vain. A solid side thrust kick under my elbow saw me crashing to the floor, winded once again. I coughed as I landed sideways on my right arm. Fuck. I knew what was coming and I curled up as Dutch's punch connected with my poor, bruised ribs.

I staggered to my feet again, staring daggers at Dutch as he returned to his place, smirking round at all his other Cobra buddies as they all leapt up and returned to formation.

When we finally reached the warming down session, I stood, stock-still, eyes closed. I stood as straight as I could but the bruise from Dutch's kick still smarted and I found I was bending slightly to accommodate the throbbing in my ribs. As far as a first lesson had gone, I'd been expecting worse from Sensei Nut-Job, honestly. But, hey. Maybe I'd got off lightly for being a beginner, like Johnny had said. I could hear the deep breathing of the students around me, as well as the light shifting of Kreese's gi as he prowled around, in and out of the lines of students.

It happened in a split second.

A tree trunk's worth of muscle wrapped around my throat and my eyes snapped open in shock as I was nearly lifted off the ground. I tried to yelp in fear but I could barely breathe enough to make a sound. The other students all opened their eyes one by one and looked round as Kreese held me in a choke hold.

"What, you think because class is over, all the danger goes away?" Kreese purred in my ear, dripping with malice and apparently relishing this way too much.

"N-no.. Sen.. sei!" I rasped, my reply little more than a whisper.

"What!? I can't hear you, Hurst!"

"N-N... O... Sen..." but I couldn't get it out. My panic was making me stupid. I could get out of this! I knew I could! But I couldn't remember how.

"Hey! Sensei, stop!" Called a voice. I tried to swivel my head to see who it was but I couldn't move.

Kreese looked up.

"You got something you wanna say to me, Garrison?" He growled.

Then I heard Johnny's voice.

"Sensei, what he means is, you've made your point. Now the little bitch knows to keep her guard up. She's not gonna be that stupid again."

I heard Kreese's laugh above me. But I was thinking about Johnny. He'd tried to help me! Again!

That seemed to clear my head. Right. I could do this. Kreese was distracted. Steeling myself, I stepped forward with my left leg as much as I could manage and pulled my right leg through so my whole body twisted in Kreese's grasp. I ended up with my face against him and I felt him claw at me to try and keep me there. But, no! That wasn't going to happen. I put both hands on him and shoved with everything I had, pushing myself away. I stumbled back a few paces and dropped into a front stance. If he came at me for real, I knew there was very little I could do to stop him. But my own Sensei back in my own world had a 1st Dan black belt for a wife who had taught me a few defence techniques if I ever ran into trouble when I was out at night or whatever. That, at least, had saved my arse this time. I kept one arm up, defensively, and rubbed my neck with the other.

The other students all stood in silence.

Kreese's expression was hard to read but, eventually, he chuckled and crossed his arms, appraising me.

"Not bad, brat. See you next week." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the room in shock and me with my arm still raised.

As I walked out of the dojo with the other Cobras, I trotted to catch up with Johnny, who hadn't spoken a word to me since before the lesson.

"Hey. Thanks for saving my arse in there." I said, graciously.

Johnny just snorted.

"I didn't. Tommy did. I just saved _his_."

"Oh... okay." I dropped back and watched Johnny stride off. I couldn't figure him out. First he tried to help me, seeming genuinely concerned, then he flat-out denied it. Even putting aside the incident at the end of the lesson, he'd still tried to give me tips to make today easier. But now, he just didn't seem to care.

Tommy came up beside me.

"Hey. You okay? Did he get you bad?"

"Hm? Oh! No, not really." I said, rubbing my neck again.

"I meant Dutch. How're your ribs? Lemme see."

I threw him a look.

"C'mon! I'm not peepin'! I just wanna see how bad it is."

Obediently, I lifted my sweater and T-shirt to reveal a nice red welt on my side.

"Beautiful huh?" I scoffed, sarcastically. "That's going to be a lovely mess of purple and blue in the coming days."

"You need ice?" Tommy asked, eyebrows knitted.

"No thanks, Nurse Joy." I said, with a laugh, dropping the hem of my sweater down again. "But I could use a soda."

"Well, you're buyin', mad girl!"


	6. A Chat

**Author's Notes:**_ I honestly had no idea what to do with this little exchange. I have literal years' worth of this written and I can usually knit sections together for upload to make pretty decent chapters. But this discussion was so standalone that I've decided to just upload it as is with no follow on. Please forgive me. When I polish chapters to upload, I like to have a good chunk of 2K+ words and this is less than 1 so, I'm sorry. Also, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be uploading this anyway. So far, neither this nor 'Across Time and Space – Fracture' have any reviews so I'm thinking these ones aren't as liked as the first fic. I don't like begging for reviews but, if you do like it, I would appreciate __just a short review or note__ so I __know to __keep uploading it for you :__) _

"So, something's been bothering me." Tommy was saying, his eyes fixed on the arcade machine screen. "How did you know-... dammit!" The 2D knight (who was becoming infuriatingly familiar) had just died for about the four-thousandth time.

"My turn." I said, brusquely, and took my place in front of the machine. "Go on." I prompted Tommy as I took the joystick in hand.

"How did you know the "way of the fist" motto?"

"Huh?" I asked, not really listening. I was trying to remember the sequence. Left, left, right, left, sword, forward, left...

"I said, how did you know the "way of the fist" motto on Thursday? You got it a hundred percent right first time but you've never been there before."

Oh... I hadn't thought about that.

"It's written on that big board outside isn't it?" I asked, thinking fast. "You know. The board with the enormous cobra on it. A little excessive don't you think?" I added with a snort, trying to derail the conversation but it didn't work.

"Mm... no. I don't think so." Tommy replied, his face a scowl of confusion as he tried to remember.

"Well, I must have heard you guys chanting it at the tournament or something. I mean, I must have heard it _some_where right? How else would I know it? Shit!" I spat expletives as the knight died yet again. "Ugh! How are you for money?" I asked Tommy, hoping we had another round in us.

"Not good if we still want a go on the cars." Tommy admitted, fishing in his pocket for change and checking.

"Well, we gave it a good shot. We're getting further every time. Let's not give up hope, eh?" I said, fairly, with a smile. "C'mon. I could really go for a milkshake right about now."

"So, what are you doing over Christmas?" Tommy was asking about fifteen minutes later as we sat on a wall with our milkshakes. "'Cos I was thinking we could hang out if you're around?"

I wasn't sure what I should say to that. I'd world-jumped enough to know that it wouldn't take much time out of my Christmas to come here for a bit. I'd timed it once. I set a timer, jumped for twenty-four hours, then come back to see I'd only been away for one minute and seven seconds my time. My family wouldn't miss me for a minute.

"That was dumb." Tommy said, while I was thinking it over. "You're probably going back to England, right?"

"No. I'm not going back to England." I said. "Maybe we can meet up on Boxing Day or something."

"Huh?"

"Oh!" I said, with a burst of realisation. "Yeah. You guys don't have Boxing Day right?"

"The hell's that? Some sport thing?"

I laughed

"Not _that_ kind of boxing! It's like... well, it's like a second Christmas day I suppose."

"You guys have a second Christmas!?"

"Sort of. How do I explain this...? Okay. It's from back when old houses had servants, right? The servants would spend all day working, making sure the lords and ladies had a nice Christmas. Then, the following day, they had a day off and celebrated Christmas themselves and they got presents in boxes from the master of the house. But they couldn't call it just "Box Day"." I giggled and was joined by Tommy.

"Cool. So it's, like, an old tradition."

I nodded.

"Well, I'm going to Jimmy's the day after-... for Boxing Day," Tommy giggled again as he tried the phrase out, "so you could maybe join us?"

"Yeah. I'd like that." I smiled. "You don't think Jimmy's parents would mind?"

"It's just his Mom. And she's pretty cool. She'll let you stay." Tommy reassured me. "Hey. Wanna go on the trampolines?"

"After milkshake?! Not likely, Tommy!" I exclaimed. "Where are the others anyway? I thought they were supposed to be meeting us here?"

"Yeah, they were. They were going with Bobby to pick up his bike but I don't think they're here yet. They'll find us eventually."


	7. Something Unspoken

Over the following few weeks up to Christmas, I spent the time in my own world researching British bands (mostly rock bands) and putting together a mix tape as a present for Tommy. I was being very discerning about the bands and songs that I chose. No Queen or David Bowie. He'd know those. Prodigy was a safe bet, I figured, and 'Spitfire' seemed like something Tommy would like. Kaiser Chiefs was another in my line-up (I was fifteen and it was 2006!). My Dad was confused as to why I wanted them on cassette tape but it wasn't like I could tell him I intended to put it in my pocket and jump to a different universe to give it to a character from my favourite movie so I just said I wanted to listen to it in my room. The only CD player in the house was in our kitchen and I had a small cassette recorder in my room from when I was small. I'd always had trouble sleeping so Dad had bought it for me to play bedtime stories on. Dad agreed to help me compile my cassette on the condition that I didn't dance too enthusiastically to it (the last time I'd danced to a Michael Jackson track, I'd knocked the light fixture in the ceiling downstairs loose!). Once the mix tape was complete, I got a bag of Malteesers* and added them into the package as a little homage to Tommy sharing his Reese's Pieces with me. I wrapped the whole thing, as neatly as I could (not very) in blue wrapping paper with silver stars.

I was going to get Christmas cards for the other Cobras too but, considering Dutch and Johnny's manner towards me, I thought better of it and only got one for Jimmy. I wasn't even sure how Jimmy would react, seeing as he'd barely spoken to me (he barely seemed to talk, full stop). I looked at my gifts, sadly, wishing I could get along with the others and get them something too, especially Johnny. I sighed. Maybe one day.

I spent Christmas day buzzing excitedly for Boxing Day for the first time in my life. I enjoyed Christmas with my family, of course. I'd always been a huge lover of the holiday and that wasn't likely to change. But I was on tenterhooks for the following day.

I jumped to Tommy's world at about noon on Boxing Day, just after lunch. I wouldn't be disturbed. Mum and Dad would slob around in front of the telly and both my brothers (nine and twelve) would be preoccupied with their new toys.

I managed to hop to South Spas in Reseda with twenty minutes to spare so I found a rock to sit on to wait. Was the weather cold? It was hard for a Brit to tell. Perhaps it felt cold to the locals but, to me, it was pretty mild. Today was gloomy though. The dark-trimmed horizon seemed to be threatening rain. I pulled my feet up onto the rock too and looped my arms around my legs, tapping out a tune on my boots as I waited. When you're excited, twenty minutes feels like a couple of hours, doesn't it.

But it wasn't long before I sensed that I was being watched. I turned my head to the right and back to look at the wooden gate leading into the apartments. It was slightly open. In the half foot of space where the gate was open, was a face. A distinctly Asian looking face. A face I knew very _very_ well!

Mr. Miyagi held my gaze as I stared back at him. Of course, I knew he worked here, so it was hardly surprising that I'd finally run across him. But the way he was staring, unblinking, straight at me, was highly unnerving. I was unsure how to react so I suppose I just stared back.

Eventually, though, it became too much.

"Hi." I said, slowly and carefully.

Mr. Miyagi nodded his head at me in greeting, then resumed his staring.

"Um..." I faltered as I tried to find something to say. "How are-... er... Merry Christmas." I eventually landed on a festive greeting. This, at least, raised a small smile from Mr. Miyagi, and he opened the gate fully and approached me. He stood just a few feet away, appraising me with a shrewd eye, apparently intensely intrigued by me. After a few moments, he spoke.

"You know Miyagi." He said, simply.

I shook my head.

"Er.. sorry, no. I don't." I denied. "Who's that?" I added for good measure.

Mr. Miyagi raised an eyebrow.

"Not question." He said. I _know _you know Miyagi. You good at present but bad at lying." He gestured at the present in my hand.

I glanced down.

"Huh? Oh! Nah. My wrapping kind of sucks to be honest." I laughed at my own, mediocre gift-wrapping job as I turned the wrapped cassette and chocolate over in my hand.

"But music good idea." Miyagi said, quietly.

"Well, thanks." I said, smiling. Then it hit me. "Wait! How did you know-...!?"

Mr. Miyagi held his hands up to shush me.

"No here, Izzi-San." He said in a hushed tone. "Later. Now you have fun Boxing Day. But, you have question, you come see Miyagi. You understand?"

"Yeah," I said, "but how did you know about my present?"

"Later." Mr. Miyagi repeated, gently. "Miyagi know everything. You world. You time. No need worry tell anything." He assured me. "Oy." He added, and gestured over to the road with a turn of his head. "You friend."

A red car pulled up to the curb and I could see Tommy waving frantically at me through the back window. Jimmy was apparently riding shotgun and I couldn't see the driver past him. I waved back.

"Are you like me!?" I whispered, urgently, as I stood up and rearranged my white jeans and standard blue hoodie which had rucked up during my wait on the rock. Mr. Miyagi put a hand on my shoulder and looked me dead in the eye.

"Talk later." He said, for a third time. He patted my shoulder a couple of times, then made off back towards the gate. I stood and watched him go until I heard Tommy's voice.

"Hey! You comin'?!"

I turned to see him leaning out of the window which he'd rolled down. With a glance back at the gate, I walked to the car.

"'Bout time!" Tommy said, mock exasperation in his voice as I finally reached him. "Who was that? Your dad? Grandfather?"

"Huh...? Er... no." I said, slightly spaced out from the random little event that had just occurred, still looking towards the gate.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Tommy asked, suddenly serious, a slight frown on his face. "Was that guy a creep? Did he do something to you!?" I looked round in time to see him reach round to undo his belt, his gaze now fixed on the gate too, a look of smouldering anger on his face.

"No!" I said, hurriedly. "No. He's a... friend. Kind of... well, I know him.," I said, "apparently." I added, under my breath.

"Well... okay, if you say so." Tommy said, still frowning. "Anyway, get in."

I did as I was bade, and trotted around the other side of the car to let myself in.

"Hey, Izzi." Jimmy greeted me, simply. "This is my mom." He gestured to the woman next to him, who shifted herself around so she could smile at me through the seats.

"Hi, Izzi. Nice to meet you. I'm Carol."

Carol was a slim lady with very long, very straight, dark brown hair, which seemed oddly out of place among the big, 80's styles I'd been seeing. Perhaps it was some throwback to the 70's. Regardless, her peach lips opened in a smile that showed very white, straight teeth.

"Hi." I smiled back. "Thanks for letting me come over."

"Not a problem. The more the merrier!" Carol laughed airily, and turned back around to gently press the accelerator and pull away down the street.

Jimmy lived in Encino Hills like Bobby and Johnny but his house was, by no means, as big as Ali's mansion of a place. It was still a pretty decent size, though. We pulled up by it and I suddenly felt that wave of peculiar inadequacy, almost as if I was lowering the tone of the place just by being there. The driveway was wide and flawlessly flat and the house itself was white as marble. I wondered vaguely if it _was _marble. It wouldn't have surprised me. Unlike Ali's place, though, this had just one floor. No second storey.

Tommy undid his belt and hopped out, as did Jimmy, so I followed suit. Jimmy's mum stayed in the car.

"She'll join us once she's put the car away." Jimmy informed me.

I looked round at him. If Johnny was hard to read, Jimmy was impossible! Everything about him seemed monotone. His voice was calm to the point that it was almost robotic. He wasn't smiling but he didn't seem particularly hostile either. I couldn't tell if he was happy I was there or not. Whenever we'd hung out with the other guys, he never really seemed to have an opinion. He was just _there_! With all this in mind, I had no idea how to respond other than to nod a couple of times.

Tommy sauntered up behind Jimmy and swung an arm over his shoulder.

"Merry Boxing Day, by the way!" He said to me, grinning.

Now, Tommy was entirely different. He was all toothy grin and crazy eyes and ever-moving limbs. No aspect of _him_ was ever static. He was full of a buzzing kind of energy, like a shaken lemonade bottle (or a toddler that didn't realise it was a teenager yet).

Both of them were very handsome boys, though. And they were both taller than me to boot, which made them look very impressive as they stood, shoulder to shoulder, before me. Despite the weeks I'd hung out with them, I suddenly felt inexplicably bashful and turned my head away to hide the blush of carnation pink that was now inhabiting my cheeks.

"You get shy all of a sudden? What's with that?!" Tommy giggled.

"Shut up.." I muttered. "We going in or what?"

"Hey. I got you a present." Tommy told me as we stepped through the door of Jimmy's family room, pulling a small gold package from his burgundy jacket pocket.

"Really!?" I exclaimed. "I got you one too!" I held up my own little blue and silver package.

"Awesome!" Tommy grinned.

My gaze fell on Jimmy who was busying himself with a NES console over by the TV.

"I don't really know you that well Jimmy. I wasn't sure what I could get you." I explained, apologetically. "I got you a card though." I added, holding it out, apprehensively.

Jimmy looked up.

I swallowed as he simply stared for a minute.

"That's for me?" He asked. I nodded. "Well, thanks." He said and actually smiled for once. He took it from me.

"C'mon! Open your present!" Tommy pressed me, excitably. I appraised him.

"Open yours first!" I insisted, plopping myself down on the sofa next to him.

"You guys are so cute it's disgusting." Jimmy remarked, without looking at us.

I went beetroot red.

"Hey, shut up, Jimmy!" Tommy reprimanded him, and threw a cushion at his head, which Jimmy easily blocked. Tommy then sat on the arm of Jimmy's sofa and began tussling with my abysmal wrapping job. After a moments grunting ("Damn! How much tape did you use?") Tommy extracted the cassette and the chocolate. Immediately, he burst out laughing.

"Hey, what's so funny?" I asked, slightly hurt.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Tommy giggled, raucously. "Open your present."

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, panicked.

"Just open it!"

So I did as I was told. I tore open Tommy's (even more crap) gift-wrapping... and a cassette fell into my lap... along with a bag of Reese's Pieces.

"Oh my God!" I laughed.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me." Jimmy mumbled, and stood up, striding from the room, leaving me and Tommy laughing, fit to bust, over our near-identical gifts.


	8. Think Twice

**STARHOPPING 101 #1 "Time jumping" -**_ When a starhopper jumps to the world of a film or book, it's entirely possible to jump to any point in that world's history, whether that's before the time frame of the story or after it, just as Izzi jumped to October of 1983, a full year before the movie. However, once an avatar is established, the starhopper has to stick to a linear timeline. So, Izzi would not be able to spend time in 1983 then instantly jump to 1984. No. She had to wait it out. A triangulation in time means that time moves at snail's pace in Izzi's world while she's in the world of the movie, but, when she hops back to her own world, the timelines of both worlds run parallel. This is because, when she leaves the movie world, the avatar voluntarily goes into a sort of "hibernation" and becomes nebulous and intangible. Nebulous avatars are not affected by time and cannot compress the timeline of either world, so the worlds move at the same speed. If the avatar is kept intact when the starhopper leaves, however, the time triangulation works both ways. 24hrs in our world = 1min 7sec in theirs and vice versa. This makes it possible to live a full life in two worlds simultaneously. The downside is that it is a big drain on the psyche of the starhopper and, until the psyche splits, can cause issues with cross-world anxiety and depression._

"Juuuuuuuuuump on booooaaaaarrrrd! Take a riiiiiiiiiiide! Ye-eeeaaahhhhh! Cos the kids are aaaaallright!" Tommy and I belted out to the music playing through Jimmy's amp that he'd hooked up to the music player. I laughed loudly.

"I can't believe you like this one!" I bellowed over the music. "It's really cheesy! It was my mum's idea!"

"And we'll paint by numbers until something sticks! I DON'T MIND DOIN' IT FOR THE KI-IIIDS!" Tommy sang dramatically, invisible mic and big hand motions and all, making me almost wet myself laughing. "You kidding!? This is cool!" He yelled.

Even Jimmy was smirking to himself as we fooled around, dancing all over his living room.

As the track started to fade, Tommy and I flopped down next to each other on the sofa, giggling weakly.

"I thought it was "take a right" for so long." I laughed.

""Take a right"? Why?" Tommy asked, slightly out of breath.

"Oh. It's a quote from 'The K-... er... this awesome movie that I like." I said, catching myself just in time.

"Oh yeah? What's it called?"

"The... um..." (_Think of something!_) "Kung-Fu Panda." I blurted out. I shrivelled inside but it was the first martial arts movie that had come into my head that would explain the "K" I'd come out with.

"Kung-Fu what now!?" Jimmy asked, leaning forward to see me better. "That sounds super weird."

"You have no idea.." I muttered, thinking about all the CGI movies to come in the future.

Jimmy snorted and relaxed back again, looking away from me and swigging from a can he had.

"C'mon! Next one!" Tommy jumped up, shooting Jimmy a look, as the next track started. This time it was Prodigy. A far cry from Robbie-bloody-Williams!

And so it carried on as we listened to the mixtape I'd made for Tommy two or three times over. Prodigy, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, even Darkness. Pretty soon we were tired out and working our way through snacks while watching 'The Dead Zone'. I actually liked this movie as I'd been a fan of Christopher Walken for a long time so I lay on the sofa as best I could with Tommy sitting on the other side. Jimmy was on the floor, his back against the end that Tommy was sitting on. I wondered if he was alright down there but he didn't seem to mind. Jimmy had barely spoken to me the entire day, and, when he did, it was usually some scathing remark, save for his gratitude for the card. I wondered if I'd upset him or if this was just how he was and I was only just noticing. Either way, he seemed to be a little happier at the moment.

I was munching on crisps (chips) of some description. I couldn't even recall what flavour they were meant to be as my vision got gradually fuzzier until, eventually, I nodded off as Walken uttered his famous line; "THE ICE IS GONNA BREAK!"

I drifted in darkness. I was usually afraid of the dark but I knew where I was. This was my head. I was safe here. I floated lazily as if I was the only person in an infinite swimming pool. My body felt supported but there was nothing touching me. I could see my own body and nothing else, despite there being no source of light.

"Izzi-San?"

I heard Mr. Miyagi's voice from somewhere in the darkness.

"Mr. Miyagi!?"

"Come talk, Izzi-San."

"Now!? How!? Where are you!?" I asked, urgently.

"Come see Miyagi. We talk, Izzi-San." Mr. Miyagi answered calmly. And, with that, his voice floated away.

"Mr. Miyagi, wait!"

But I felt a sudden pull on my shoulders that lifted me up... up... up...

My eyes opened on almost-darkness... not quite. I was still lying on Jimmy's red sofa but, now, I had something covering me. As I shifted slightly, I felt a silky sort of lining on my upper arm. I realised it must be Tommy's jacket. Aww. What a gentleman! I must have been asleep for some time if it had got dark. My vision was still fuzzy and I was still half-asleep but I managed to register quiet bleeping. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again to try and clear my vision. Tommy and Jimmy were both on the floor now, playing games on the NES.

"So, you think you will?" Jimmy was saying in a hushed voice to Tommy.

"I dunno.. Maybe.." was Tommy's answer.

"But we'd still hang out? Like we do now?" Jimmy asked.

"Huh..? Oh.. yeah. Of course." Tommy was obviously more focussed on whatever game they were playing, not really paying attention to Jimmy's line of questioning. There was a decrescendo of bleeps. "Dammit!" Tommy hissed. And then his hand jumped to his mouth and he turned his head my way. I shut my eyes again, quickly.

"She still asleep over there?" I heard Jimmy ask.

"Yeah." Tommy said, quietly. "Hey, what was your problem with her today, man?"

"What do you mean "problem"?"

"You know what I mean. You're a quiet guy but... I dunno. You were off today. You just ignored her half the time. And the other half, you were mean to her. What gives?"

I dared to open my eyes again. Tommy had turned back around and was now facing Jimmy more directly, the pale blue light from the television screen illuminating one side of each of their faces. Tommy had a kind of delicate profile, I noticed. A slim, pointed nose, shallow brow, small but pouting lips and a long neck. And, even in the gloom, I could see his impossibly dark eyes. He was... kind of pretty.

Jimmy shrugged.

"Dutch doesn't like her either." Jimmy tried to justify himself.

"Yeah, well, Dutch doesn't like anyone that doesn't look like they stepped out of a car magazine." Tommy retorted. "But what about you? I thought you said she was cool."

"She just irritates me is all." Jimmy mumbled. I felt my heart drop a little.

"Well knock it off." Tommy hissed.

They carried on their whispered argument but I could feel myself growing drowsy again and I closed my eyes, letting sleep take over once more.

It only felt like a couple of minutes when I was woken again by a sudden cry.

"I said I'm sorry!" Jimmy was shouting as he stomped towards the door through to the hallway.

"Well, stop being sorry and listen to me a minute!" Tommy shouted back. He strode after Jimmy and followed him through the door. "If I'd known, we wouldn't have come here! You're still my best frie-..." and the door closed. I couldn't really hear what was being said. All I heard was muffled arguing. Oh crap! Had I really annoyed Jimmy that much? Were they arguing over me? Did Jimmy want me to leave? Should I hop back to my world and just bail? Did they still think I was asleep (as if I could have slept through that shouting)? Should I _keep_ pretending to sleep? If I left, they'd know I'd heard. But, if it was me they were arguing about, maybe I should?

My brain chased its own tail as the arguing in the hall carried on. I sat up a little on the sofa, straining to hear and, at the same time, realising that I shouldn't.

I heard something that sounded like

"You hate her, is that it!?" from Tommy, but very little else.

Besides anything else, it hadn't escaped me that Tommy was acting very valiantly on my behalf.

Pretty soon, though, I heard a woman's voice and figured Jimmy's mum must have come through. I had no idea what the time was and I wasn't brave enough to get up and peer at the clock on the mantelpiece in the gloom, lit only by the light of the television which was still bleeping, abandoned. I couldn't hear what Jimmy's mum was saying, but she sounded cross from her tone. I didn't know what else I could have done. I settled back down on the sofa and pulled Tommy's jacket up and over my shoulder, laying my head back down on the sofa. I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard the door open and Tommy and Jimmy walked back in, trying to keep my nervous breathing level so they wouldn't suspect.

"How the hell'd she sleep through that?" Jimmy scoffed, not bothering to keep his voice down any more.

"Ssh!" Tommy hissed.

"_You_ ssh!" Jimmy threw back at him. Then he sighed. "I'm... going to bed. You'll wanna stay here... right?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"Jimmy-..." Tommy started.

"I know. I got it." Jimmy cut him off. But he didn't sound angry now. He sounded oddly desolate. "You uh... you won't tell her-..."

"Of course not. Ever! Best friends, okay?" Tommy said, strongly.

"Yeah. Thanks." Jimmy said, quietly. "You um... you know where the sheets and stuff are."

There was a soft padding of footsteps, then the closing of the door. I heard Tommy sigh and flop back down on the floor.

I counted to sixty. Twice. Then I shifted, feigning having just woken up.

"Hi, Tommy." I said, yawning hugely to reinforce my performance. "Where's Jimmy?"

Tommy shifted round on his butt to look at me.

"Hey. Sorry if we woke you. Jimmy went to bed."

"You didn't wake me." I assured him, falsely. "Is everything okay?"

"Um... yeah. Yeah, sure. Everything's fine. I'm just a little sleepy." Tommy said. I could tell he was lying but I was just glad their little spat was over.

I sat up a little on the sofa, amid much dramatic eye-rubbing.

"What time is it?"

"Almost one in the morning." Tommy replied. "You were out for hours."

"Well our dancing was pretty intense." I giggled. This made Tommy smile too and he got up and sat next to me on the sofa.

We sat there for ages, talking in hushed voices. I didn't dare bring up the argument I'd over heard but we talked about movies, games, Cobra Kai karate and how strict Kreese was, England versus America things (crisps versus chips for example) and a bunch of other things.

"So, you staying with Cobra Kai?" Tommy asked, some forty-five minutes later. He was leaning against the sofa arm, and seemed to be sinking lower as time wore on. He had to be getting tired by now. One of his legs was twitching as he bounced it on the ball of his foot, perhaps to try and keep himself awake, but I'd noticed.

"Yeah, sure. I mean, it's tough but it's worth it just to prove myself, you know?" I said, with a smile.

Tommy nodded, smiling too.

"Yeah! To push yourself, right? Go further than before." He seemed pumped up as he said it, but yawned straight afterwards.

"Hey, listen. Aren't you getting sleepy?" I asked, concerned.

As if on cue, Tommy stretched, his back arching, arms bent up by his head and his blue ringer T-shirt lifting slightly to show his midriff. I'd never noticed before but he had a really slim waist and my gaze lingered there for a moment.

"Yeah... kinda." Tommy said, apologetically, with a grin. "You already slept so I was tryin'a stay up for a while."

"Oh, Tommy, you didn't have to do that!" I exclaimed. "If you're tired, _sleep_! You don't have to worry about me!

I looked at him. The right side of his face was illuminated with the blue light from the TV and I could only see one eye, square highlight twinkling, reflecting the screen. Looking at him like this, it seemed incredible that he was the same Tommy that would push Daniel off a cliff in about nine months time. How could this boy ever become that? Every line, dip and rise of his face was picked out in fine detail, a triangular smear of shadow beneath his bottom lip, a mid-tone of blue beneath his thin brow, running in a gradient to an intense dark spot on the inner corner of his eye and deep, dark smile lines. These deepened further as he smiled, and new little crinkles appeared by his eyes. His head fell into one hand, his elbow resting on the sofa arm.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"You." He replied, simply.

I giggled, not really sure how to react.

"Shut up." I laughed, and threw a cushion at him. "Where do we sleep anyway?"

"In here, I guess." Tommy said, looking around him. "There's sheets and stuff in the bathroom cupboard."

"Well you're getting the sofa." I said, quickly.

"What!? No..!"

"Hey! No returnsies! You have to take it! It's the rules! And, anyway, I already slept on it, remember?" I argued, before he had the chance. "I'll just take the cushions off the armchairs and make a bed with them or something."

"You're a pain in the A." Tommy scolded me, before giggling and heaving himself up to standing.

Together, we tracked down bedding in the bathroom cupboard and made up something approximating beds in the lounge. Tommy was really starting to slow down out of tiredness, so I tamed a sheet around the cushions on the sofa and threw a blanket over the top.

"So that's yours..." Tommy started.

"Shut up. In." I ordered, pointing at the "bed", laughing.

Tommy pulled a face and saluted before giggling and undoing his belt while I dragged the seat cushions off the armchairs and pulled them together in front of the sofa, binding them in place with a sheet too.

Tommy pushed his jeans down and off his Californian tanned legs and wriggled into bed while I found a blanket for myself, along with a pillow, then stood back to admire my handiwork.

I looked over at Tommy.

He smirked at me.

"Yeah right." I snorted, and got into bed before getting rid of my own jeans, throwing them out the side of the blanket.

Tommy giggled.

"You sure you're okay down there?" He asked.

"Definitely. It's really cosy, actually." I said, sincerely. It was.

"Crap! The TV." Tommy said, suddenly. We'd been talking for so long, we'd forgotten that that was where the light was coming from. Tommy threw the blanket off him and stepped over me to reach the television. The last thing I saw was Tommy crouching down by the NES console before the room plunged into darkness. But I heard him shuffle across the floor and his foot connected with the armchair cushion that my legs were lying on. I heard a soft "Ah." and Tommy awkwardly stepped over me and got, clumsily, back into bed.

There was silence in the pitch black for a minute or two.

"Goodnight, Tommy." I said, softly.

"G'night." Tommy responded, his voice already low and distant as sleep took over him.


End file.
